Acclaimed filmmaker Freida Lee Mock is this year’s AFI DOCS 2019 Charles Guggenheim Symposium honoree. Mock’s career includes five Academy Award® nominations for her work, and an Academy Award® for her documentary MAYA LIN: A STRONG CLEAR VISION (1994). Each year, the AFI DOCS Charles Guggenheim Symposium honors a master of the nonfiction art form. This year’s Symposium will include an in-depth conversation with Mock, along with a sneak preview of her new film, RUTH – JUSTICE GINSBURG IN HER OWN WORDS, at the Arleigh & Roberta Burke Theater at The Navy Memorial, on June 22, 2019. The Symposium will…

The first wave of guest presenters who will celebrate Denzel Washington at the 47th AFI Life Achievement Award on June 6, 2019, at a Gala Tribute in Los Angeles have just been announced! Chadwick Boseman, Jodie Foster, Jamie Foxx, Morgan Freeman (2011 honoree), Michael B. Jordan, Issa Rae, Julia Roberts and Cicely Tyson will all be in attendance to pay tribute to Washington’s life and work. In addition, multitalented film, television and music video artist Melina Matsoukas (AFI Class of 2005) will receive the 2019 Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal, recognizing her extraordinary creative talents. The event will take place…

The AFI Conservatory today announced the recipients and mentors chosen for the fourth edition of the AFI Writers’ Room Ready. Aimed at cultivating the next generation of television scriptwriters, the program gives graduating AFI Conservatory Fellows the unique opportunity to work directly with established artists. AFI Writers’ Room Ready highlights select original scripts from top AFI graduates by pairing them with accomplished AFI Conservatory alumni mentors from the industry. The Class of 2018 recipients, mentors and their projects are: Sofia Drumond-Moore, paired with Norberto Barba (AFI Class of 1990, producer/director on MAYANS M.C.) Cari Daly, paired with Lizzy Weiss (AFI…

AFI DOCS announces the five films selected for the fifth annual AFI DOCS Impact Lab in partnership with Raben Impact Entertainment, a division of The Raben Group. The selections for this distinguished fellowship and training program are four feature documentary films — 17 BLOCKS, BORDER SOUTH, GAY CHORUS DEEP SOUTH and A WOMAN’S WORK: THE NFL’S CHEERLEADER PROBLEM — and the short documentary film ST. LOUIS SUPERMAN. “We are proud to once again partner with The Raben Group’s Impact Entertainment team for the AFI DOCS Impact Lab,” said Michael Lumpkin, Director, AFI Festivals. “The Impact Lab films highlight incredible stories…

We’ve revealed the full slate of films for AFI DOCS 2019 which includes 72 films representing 17 countries — including six world premieres, one North American premiere and two U.S. premieres. Year after year, the festival provides a unique opportunity for audiences, filmmakers and policy leaders to engage and connect through the power of story. AFI DOCS 2019 runs June 19–23 in Washington, DC, and Silver Spring, MD. AT&T is the Presenting Sponsor of the festival. Tickets to AFI DOCS 2019 are now available for purchase here. This year’s Centerpiece film will be AMERICAN FACTORY, directed by Steven Bognar and…